


Vow

by kiite



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But it’s consensual kidnapping, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kidnapping, M/M, Pre-Relationship, a lot of bickering, au where sanji never left germa and he’s a prince
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:25:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23340121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiite/pseuds/kiite
Summary: Ace steals. Sanji is stolen.
Relationships: Portgas D. Ace/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 17
Kudos: 285





	Vow

**Author's Note:**

> yeah notes for this:  
> -sanji didn’t leave germa as a kid, he’s a prince but judge still treats him like shit (obviously. he’s judge)  
> -does not follow canon timeline of whole cake or anything (this is pre-ts for sure)

Sanji gazed out his window, watching the sparkling waves roll endlessly as Germa floated through the Grand Line. The waters of the Grand Line were completely different from those of the North Blue; both beautiful and sometimes terrifying in their own ways, as seas always were. On a typical day, watching the sea would bring him some respite from his otherwise shitty life. When he looked out at the horizon, he could imagine himself somewhere far away from the cold gray stone of the kingdom he despised so much. 

But this was not a typical day, of course, because Sanji was being carted off to his wedding.

The sleeves of his loose, silky white top fluttered in the wind as he reached into his pocket for a box of cigarettes that was not there. _That’s right_ , Sanji recalled with a scowl, fingers twitching, _Judge made me quit._ _What was it he said… “since you can’t do anything else right, can’t you at least be a presentable groom”?_ Sanji had tried to quit then, more out of respect for the unlucky lady being forced into a marriage with him than for Judge’s sake, but the withdrawal symptoms had hit him too hard. He had another cigarette in his hand before the end of the day.

Judge, ever the pragmatist, fell back on the tried-and-true method of tossing Sanji behind bars for a while and letting the problems work themselves out. When Sanji pleaded with the guards for a little extra food— or, even better, just _one_ cigarette— they would pointedly ignore him. He wasn’t certain if that was explicitly on Judge’s orders, or if they just didn’t like him very much. Hours of cussing Judge out went unheard, as did the occasional screams and sobs, but there wasn’t much time for those. Cursing that bastard’s name always took priority.

When Sanji stepped out of the cell three weeks later, his first thought was _man, I need a smoke_ . One look from Judge, though, a look that clearly said _next time, it’ll be six weeks,_ and he was miraculously cured of his nicotine addiction. Another one of Judge’s great victories, he supposed. Put that one in the history books.

Sanji stepped away from his window, opting to leave it open to allow the sea breeze to drift in. The distant cries of seagulls were always a strange comfort to him. He moved over to his bed, falling flat on his back and spreading his arms out as he stared at the ceiling. The silky fabric of his shirt pooled around him like water. 

In theory, he should be excited about the marriage; it meant the distinct possibility of spending less time around his family. But no matter how he tried to sell it to himself, it was still an arranged political marriage— a union of two pawns for the benefit of the rest of the court. His happiness was not a factor— not that it had ever been— and he was certain his bride-to-be’s wasn’t either. It was destined to be a loveless marriage, and to a romantic like himself, that was worse than death.

Rolling onto his side, Sanji faced the window and closed his eyes. _I’m only nineteen, I shouldn’t have to get married._ Out of the blue, he recalled the moment he had made the unfortunate realization of his mother’s age when she had been wed, as soon as he was old enough to do the math. _I guess that excuse wouldn’t work with Judge anyway._

An unnaturally warm wind rushed into the room, hitting his face and making him open his eyes in surprise. _It shouldn’t be warm, why is it—_ His train of thought stopped dead in its tracks when he noticed the figure perched on his windowsill, elbows resting on their knees and hands dangling loosely. 

To his credit, the intruder seemed just as surprised to see Sanji as Sanji was to see him. “Oh, pardon my intrusion. I didn’t realize there was anyone in here.” The stranger leaned forward to bow his head in apology, nearly losing his balance and falling to the floor. He recovered quickly though, hopping down from his perched position to stand fully inside Sanji’s room.

As soon as his brain caught up and screamed _oh shit, that’s a person, there’s a guy in my room,_ Sanji had scrambled to sit up. No longer silhouetted with the sun behind his back, Sanji could finally get a good look at the intruder, who he guessed was around his age. His wavy black hair framed his freckled face, sun-kissed skin telling stories of endless days spent under the sun. He had the build of someone who clearly spent a lot of time training his body. In every way, he appeared to be the opposite of Sanji, who had spent most of his life locked up in various rooms. 

“It’s pretty rude to barge in through someone’s window, you know,” Sanji stated the obvious, not certain why he was engaging the man in casual conversation. He figured he was simply _that_ starved for interaction with anyone not from Germa that he would accept it from a possible enemy. “Even if I hadn’t been in here, it still would have been rude.”

The intruder had the courtesy to look a little embarrassed, tipping his hat up a bit. “Guess you got me there.” His hand moved to the back of his head, tangling itself in his black locks. “Well, this is kind of awkward. I wasn’t planning on running into anyone, so I don’t really know what to say…”

Sanji stood up from the bed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Maybe start with why you’re in my room?” he suggested, his patience wearing a bit thin. The whole wedding ordeal already had him tense, and this certainly wasn’t helping.

“Oh,” the man’s expression suddenly shifted into something harder, something more dangerous. Sanji had to fight his instinct to take a step back. “We’re robbing this place.” 

Sanji blinked, posture relaxing slightly. “Huh,” he said, not intending for it to be out loud. Now that he was listening for it, Sanji could hear the distant sounds of battle drifting in from outside. Suddenly, something clicked into place. “Shit. Are you a pirate?”

The man grinned, but it still had that dangerous, sharp edge to it. “Sure am,” he answered casually, as though he hadn’t just clearly established himself as a threat. 

He should be scared. He should be _terrified_ , actually, that a pirate just entered his room and declared his malicious intent. But Sanji couldn’t bring himself to be scared at the moment, because his mind was somewhere else. _Pirates have ships. Ships mean escape._

 _Something must be seriously wrong with me,_ Sanji thought to himself, _because no one in their right mind would do what I’m about to do._

Stepping forward until there were only a few feet between them, Sanji steeled himself. The other man cocked an eyebrow, seemingly curious about Sanji’s next move. “Alright, this is probably going to sound strange, but…” 

“...Would you mind kidnapping me?”

* * *

Whatever Ace had been expecting, it wasn’t this. First there was a guy in the room Ace had really hoped would be empty, then he chewed him out for coming in through the window, and now he was asking to be kidnapped? Ace was at a loss; he wasn’t prepared for this. 

“Uh,” Ace said, expression growing more perplexed by the moment. His mouth hung open like he had a follow-up, but nothing came to him, so he snapped it shut.

The blond man sighed. He didn’t seem like he had much patience for anything. “What, you need payment or something?” he asked in that biting tone of his. He reached down and pulled a ring off his left hand, tossing it to Ace, who scrambled to catch the object suddenly being thrown his way. “There. That should be enough.”

Ace opened his cupped hands to examine the ring. It was gold, studded with small pink gemstones arranged to draw emphasis to the pearl in the center. There was some sort of engraving on the inside of the band, but it wasn't in a language Ace could read. “Is this a wedding ring?” Ace asked in confusion, still baffled by the entire exchange. 

“Engagement ring, actually,” the man said casually with a shrug of his shoulders. “Wedding’s a sham anyways, so it’s not like I need it. Can we get on with this?” he asked with a huff, his impatience palpable.

“Whoa, cool it, Blondie,” Ace warned, face hardening again. “I never agreed to… whatever this is. What are you anyway, some kinda prisoner?” 

The blond’s face went red, his eyes wide with indignation. “ _Blondie?!_ What the hell is that?!” he sputtered, posture tensing. “Don’t call me that, you… you… fucking _Freckles!”_

Ace laughed, genuinely entertained by the man’s outrage. “ _Freckles?_ That’s the best you can come up with?” His laughter died down, but the teasing grin remained on his face. “Wouldn’t have to call you Blondie if I knew your name.” Almost as an afterthought, he tacked on, “Mine’s Ace, by the way.”

The other man scowled, clearly not as amused as Ace was. “That’s _not_ how you ask for someone’s name, shithead.” _First I was Freckles, now I’m shithead,_ Ace pondered. _I can’t tell if that’s a promotion or not._ Blondie looked away, his scowl softening slightly. “...It’s Sanji. And as for your other question, uh… I guess a prisoner is pretty accurate, yeah.”

Ace grinned; he would have patted the other man on the back if he wasn’t afraid of having his arm torn off— Sanji probably could have managed it, even though Ace was made of fire. “See, that wasn’t so hard! Being polite goes pretty far when you’re asking favors, you know.” 

For whatever reason, Sanji’s mood didn’t seem to improve as a result of the helpful tip. “It’s not a favor, it’s a _service._ That’s what the ring is for.” If looks could kill, Ace would be dead three times over. “Listen, just… give me a ride to the next island, and I’ll be out of your hair. If I have to stay in this place for one more day, I’m going to throw myself out that window.” 

_That’s not really my problem,_ Ace was tempted to say, but kept it to himself. As much as he enjoyed antagonizing this guy, he couldn’t do this all day, and he had the feeling Sanji wasn’t going to back down. He shoved the ring in his pocket; at least he’d come back with _something_.

“Alright, alright, I get it!” Ace said, putting a hand on his hip. “I’ll do it. Need to take anything with you?”

Sanji smiled, satisfied by his victory. “You’re a considerate kidnapper,” he snorted, scanning the room. His eyes caught on his dresser, and he moved over to it. His back partially blocked Ace’s view, but it looked like he slid a photo out of a frame and pocketed it. Sanji started to turn back, but stopped abruptly.

“You got any smokes?” he asked, looking at Ace from the corner of his visible eye.

“Nope. Don’t smoke.”

“Damn.” A pause. “Anyone on your crew got smokes?”

Izou usually kept a pack on him, if Ace remembered correctly. “Think so.”

“Sweet. I’m done here, then.” Sanji’s smile returned, and he walked back over to Ace. “So, uh… should I guide you down to the door, or—“

“No need,” Ace interrupted, glancing at the still-open window behind him. Without warning, he scooped Sanji up in his arms. The blond squawked in opposition to the sudden bridal carry he found himself in, but Ace paid him no mind. In a single smooth jump, he cleared the windowsill, and then they were falling.

It was at that moment that Sanji remembered that his bedroom was at _least_ a hundred feet off the ground. 

“WHAT THE HELL, YOU SHITTY PIRATE?!” Sanji screamed over the noise of the wind rushing by them. His arms were wrapped tight enough around Ace’s neck that the pirate had a bit of trouble breathing. Ace just laughed, but with Sanji’s chokehold, it sounded more like a wheeze.

Effortlessly, Ace transformed the majority of his body into flame, allowing himself free movement in the air. Sanji froze, his body stiffening as he realized what was happening. The sudden onset of the flames seemed to make him nervous, but Ace kept his grip on the man secure. Like a comet, Ace shot across the sky over Germa until he reached the Moby Dick.

Their landing was not the smoothest. As soon as solid ground was in view, Sanji started to thrash to break free of Ace’s hold. Ace all but threw him onto the deck, losing his own footing in the process and crashing unceremoniously. A smattering of poorly restrained laughter from his crewmates broke out around him as he pushed himself back to his feet. 

“Why the hell did you do that?” Ace growled at his hostage— he supposed that was what Sanji was— as he got to his feet as well. 

Sanji closed the gap between them by yanking Ace forward by the string of beads around his neck. “You should really fucking warn a guy if you’re going to jump out a goddamn window,” he hissed lowly, clearly trying to restrain his anger to some extent and failing pretty miserably. “And if you’re going to turn into fire!”

Ace was about to retort when another voice cut into their argument. “Who’s this, Ace?” a familiar voice inquired. Ace turned to see Marco watching him with raised eyebrows— well, they were always raised, but more so than usual. Sanji had also turned his attention to the first division commander, releasing his hold on Ace.

“Some guy who asked me to kidnap him,” Ace answered plainly, dusting his pants off.

Marco’s expression changed to one of amused interest, and he walked over to get a look. “Didn’t take you for the kidnapping type—” Marco stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Sanji’s face. He blinked and turned back to Ace, expression hard. 

“ _Ace,”_ he said in that tone that always indicated to Ace that he’d fucked up one way or another, “Why did you kidnap one of Germa’s princes?” 

“Like I said, he _asked—_ wait. Prince?” Ace leaned around Marco to get another look at Sanji, who was glaring daggers at the both of them. _Didn’t he say he was a prisoner?_ “You sure about that?” 

Marco put his head in his hand, sighing. “Yes, I’m sure. Just—” he glanced back at the kingdom, where most of the Whitebeard pirates were retreating back to the ship with their plunders, being chased by a seemingly endless army of Germa soldiers. “Just go put him back. We don’t need Germa on our tail for the rest of our voyage.” 

A snort from Sanji drew everyone’s attention. “Don’t worry, you grabbed the right prince. Judge won’t bother going after me, it’s not worth it. He’s wanted to get rid of me for _years_.” 

_I can’t imagine why,_ Ace thought with a roll of his eyes. “We’re just giving him a lift to the next island, anyways,” he said, not certain why he felt the need to defend the rude prince. Past Marco, he caught Sanji’s eyes widening slightly in surprise. 

Marco narrowed his eyes at Ace. “Fine, fine,” he muttered, giving in. “Take him to the extra cabin.”

* * *

Sanji was quiet as he followed Ace into the small room. There was a modest cot in the corner, a thin sheet pulled squarely up to the pillow. Barrels and crates of various supplies filled the rest of the room; Sanji got the idea that this room was rarely used. 

He shuffled over to the cot, lowering himself down to sit on the edge. Sanji stared down at his hands, letting the reality of his situation wash over him. Still standing near the doorway, Ace put his hands on his hips and smiled fondly.

“Man, this brings back memories,” he reminisced, glancing around at the dusty boxes. “This is the room I stayed in before I joined the crew. See that broken crate in the corner? That was all me.” 

Sanji didn’t respond at first, keeping his head down. Finally, he looked up, staring straight at Ace. “Why did you stick up for me back there?”

Ace met his gaze and, seeming to realize that their conversation was far from over, closed the door behind him. He glanced at the bed for a moment, as though considering taking a seat next to Sanji, but he decided against it. Instead, he hopped up on a large crate and let his legs dangle. 

“Do I need a reason to do what I do, Mr. Prince?” 

Sanji’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance, the curled tip bouncing. “Yes, you do. And don’t call me that.”

Ace gave his signature victory grin he flashed every time he managed to effectively get on Sanji’s nerves. “It was a _service,_ right?” he asked, fishing the ring out of his pocket and examining it again. 

“Don’t give me that shit,” Sanji snorted, side-eyeing him. “You could have easily just taken off with that, and anything else you wanted. That’s what any self-respecting pirate would do, right?”

Ace pouted. “That’s rude, but fair.” He paused for a moment, rolling the ring around between his thumb and index finger. “I can tell that you’re no spoiled prince playing runaway for a little excitement outside the palace walls. You’d only ask for help from pirates if you _really_ wanted out.” Something hard flashed in his face, and Sanji assumed he had remembered something painful. “Everyone deserves a shot at freedom. That’s all.”

Sanji fell backwards, laying flat on the cot. “You were my last chance,” he said quietly, staring at the ceiling. For some reason, he felt like opening up to this guy. “My wedding is in a few days, and if I had gone through with it…” he turned his head to the side, looking at Ace, “I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. I think I’d rather die than live like that, stripped of freedom and full of regret.”

Ace seemed surprised by the declaration, but his surprise quickly melted back into a smile. “You’re stronger than I thought, Mr. Prince. I like strong people.”

Deciding to let the nickname slide, Sanji returned his smile for once. “You’re not so bad yourself, pirate.” 

Suddenly something was sailing through the air, and Sanji was scrambling to catch it. He looked down at his engagement ring, now back in his hands, and then to Ace, who had moved back to the door and was about to leave. “Why…?”

“Don’t need it,” Ace said, looking back over his shoulder at Sanji. “I brought back something way more valuable, anyway.” He threw Sanji a wink.

Sanji went red, his face flushing as he tried to look anywhere else other than Ace’s muscular, tattooed back. He tried to shoot him a scathing reply, but Ace cut him off.

“Oh, and by the way,” Ace added, grinning smugly. He was pushing open the door, but paused as he met Sanji’s gaze. “You’re welcome to give me that ring again sometime, but you should at least take me out to dinner first. I’m free any time.”

With that, he slipped out and left Sanji alone. It took a few moments for the implications of Ace’s words to fully sink in, and when they did, he went redder than he thought possible and chucked his pillow at the long-closed door. 

_Shitty hot pirate,_ Sanji thought to himself, curling up on the cot and hiding his face from no one in particular. _No way in hell am I falling for a pirate. Not happening._

He ran his thumb over the ring clenched in his palm. It would look nice on Ace, he wagered.

_Shit._

**Author's Note:**

> thank u for reading my silly fic 💙 love u


End file.
